Oh yeah, i nerfed level 6 a bit more as well, since i finally ran into why exactly it is so hard. The combination of spreaders and turrets is a nasty one, and the red wedges will fuck you over if you hang around the sides. There was also multiple instances of screen-wide blankets of lasers, which is a death sentence on EPIC MAN MODE >:C. I'll have you know, however, that it (as in all 9 levels) HAS been completed by one particularly persistent person, and it isn't me. Supposedly the key is to go for maximum offense, but i bet you that having a smidge of armor so you can survive a single shot is a good deal as well.

Also, this just in: The second boss in its current iteration is NOT impossible on Nightmare, since i managed to beat it. Took a fair few tries, but since i could beat it on Nightmare (and it isn't made by me, but Chartle, so i lack the premonition that i usually have), most people should be able to win on Normal after some tries. Now don't get me wrong though, it's still a difficult fight, and you really need to be in your zone to beat it. The missiles are relentless, the orbs ubiquitous, and the huge laser is just plain terrifying. It's probably the missiles killing you most of the time, but nothing says "your ass is mine" like a huge laser plowing through your face for an instant kill. (unless you play on Easy, in which case it merely takes off 60% health)

@Uncertain: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! c:

@Chartle: Oh you. :U (also in case people haven't noticed or have been living under a proverbial rock, Chartle is my co-programmer and the evil genius behind the shown boss)

In other news, here's something for your speculations.



hee hee

Oh yeah, and i've also added a damage reduction for damage going through the shield, which will make it highly desirable on EPIC MAN MODE >:C. Basically, any damage left over from a shot breaking your shields will be halved before hitting you. Coupled with the much smaller hitbox on shields, i bet the upgrade will suddenly become much more popular. :U

They don't fire at all, they just serve to annoy the shit out of you by deflecting your boolits. No amount of standard shots will cause any harm to them from the front, so you'll either have to get behind them or throw a super shot at their faces. This serves to horribly complicate matters now that you're used to just shooting everything, since depending on whether i'll make deflected shots harmful to your health or not, shooting at them can be very counter-productive.

Also, given that i have an exam in two days, production is temporarily halted. Might go for a release after the exam, but we'll see by then.

Love this one lol

This is ridiculously awesome (even though I only made it to level 3 on normal).

I think I'm in love with you.

I recommend a barrel roll upgrade, allowing you to dodge bullets. However, you'd have to wait for your barrel roll to charge again. Or else you'd throw up.

Barrel roll? That's a pretty cool idea actually, and a nice alternative to the very hit or miss hitbox upgrade that had been suggested in another place. Either the (hitbox) upgrade becomes insignificant, or it becomes supremely overpowered. The biggest issue about barrel rolling is that i have to animate it. :U (giving the player temporary invulnerability isn't too bad, since there are a few places with nearly unavoidable barrages of lasers)

Also, i'm really glad you guys like it! It's turning into quite a project, so i'm glad it isn't for nothing. c:

In other news, TIME TO UPDATE. Changelog:

- BOSS 2 IS A REALITY. Beware.
- Shield hitbox is now much smaller, about same size as the ships hitbox (which is also a bit smaller vertically).
- Shield now has a "gate" mechanic, meaning that any excess damage past a collapsed shield is halved (example: normal shield has 15 points, large laser hits for 25, so you take (25-15)/2 = 5 damage). I suspect this will greatly help EPIC MAN MODE >:C players.
- Upgrades can now be sold with the right mouse button. This gives you back 90% of their cost.
- A few bug fixes here and there. (and likely a host of new bugs)
- Level 6 nerfed further.
- Altered help screen colours to match game aesthetics.

I'll have to make room for Chartle in the credits ASAP, since he's the mad genius responsible for both the second boss and the selling feature.

GET YOURS TODAY

A'ight, will do, thanks. c:

@Maylene: I see what you're on about, though it's supposed to be hard. I like a good challenge myself; not one that destroys you without any progress on your side (which might be the problem you're facing), but one that does take more than two brain cells to get through. Easy games are good for some people, though i'm not one of them. When i fight a boss, i want to feel like it's ME defeating it, not the game doing it for me. The bosses here are a reflection of that; you do need good stats to beat them, but player skills also contribute quite significantly to the defeating of them. Likewise with the levels, though not quite as much, since a lack of firepower will result in less cash. (so there's a tip, go more for offense than defense)

It's a really delicate balance; the difficulty needs to increase as the game progresses, but at the same time, the players ability to cope with this difficulty also increases rapidly. Making the player not feel overpowered or stagnant is critical, because a lack of progress/challenge is a quick way to boredom. Thus, the very steep difficulty curve. Some games have the players reach ridiculous levels of power near the end, where they can absolutely dominate every opposition ever. I want to avoid that (for the most part), because while it is fun to be god tier for a while, it quickly loses its novelty. Therefore, the very final boss will be a significant challenge, even with full upgrades.

HOWEVER, i agree with that green wall on level 9 being hard. It IS a complete bitch sometimes, because it can be really hard to wipe quickly enough to avoid major damage (i fell to that myself while playing on Nightmare). I'll have to tune it down a bit, though with that said, if you can't handle that wall, there's no way in hell you'll ever beat the second boss at the moment. :U (or the finale of level 9, which is worse than the wall but easier than the boss)
It was an uninspired addition, i admit, because thinking up novel encounters is getting progressively hard. It's unlikely to be the last of such, but that's why i keep making all these alpha versions for you to test. c:

As a final note, do remember that there is an Easy difficulty. It should make surviving much easier, since you take 40% less damage from everything. I included it specifically because some people might be overwhelmed by the baseline challenge set by Normal, in a feeble attempt to broaden the audience. The only disadvantage to Easy is a lower score, which only affects bragging rights. Cash and XP both remain constant through all difficulties.

@torismaser: Well that's farther than me, i only bothered to complete the first level. :U
As for the suggestions, i was actually thinking of including beam turrets in the later levels, though as Maylene mentioned, they could potentially fuck your world all the way through the nine circles of hell and back. It'd definitely need some kind of inaccuracy, because else it's just a countdown timer to your death. Green beams aren't so bad, your shields can take them. Yellow beams... Not so much. What there will be, however, is turrets firing the big fat lasers. Slowly, of course, since those lasers are insanely powerful. Probably only in the levels 15-20.
Also, invisible yellow wedges? That's just too cruel. I want to challenge the player, not destroy him/her (too many times, anyways). :U (and besides, there will be plenty of annoying meatshields post level 10)

@JellyNinja: Thanks man! I will, don't worry (if you'd ever do that). It might be slow, but as Confucius says, it matters not how slowly you go as long as you never stop. (or something, sounds nice for a lazy ass like me regardless)

Haha, 2 levels on EPIC MAN MODE >:C? Nice, that's better than what i did. :U
As for guns and ships, might design some more player ships in the future, though it doesn't have high priority. Guns? Well, your gun will change characteristics more than once, and when i get around to it, so will your super shots.

@torismaser: Oh, that's an interesting pair of bugs. Gotta fix those ASAP, game breakers are boring. :c
Also, that upgrade tree you're talking about? That's a ridiculously cool idea. When i read it, i literally stared out into the void for 3 minutes thinking about the possibilities. It's basically an awesome version of the current dull skill system. Definitely going to try putting it in.

Edit: also hey look



GUI overhaul in the works. Figured i'd make it look more like the players ship so there is some semblance of coherence.

Edit: Also JellyNinja, yeah mouse movement would be possible, but it'd make the turret impossible to control properly. What i'm thinking, however, is to make the ship take a short while to accelerate to full speed, which would make it easier to make slight adjustments to your position. Stopping should probably be instant, though. Scoreboard? Perhaps, not of high priority.
Thanks for playing and liking! c:

Yes, i noticed that moments after completion. While i remake that part, here's a question for the general public:



Which one is better? Can't really decide myself. :U

A'ight, probably going to stick with that one for now (unless an overwhelming majority suddenly prefer the other, changing it is really quick).

Also, last teaser for today.



Slightly less ugly, though it's still apparent that i'm a terrible designer. :U (also the central part has yet to be remade, along with all the obvious upgrades)

Borders, you say? Splendid idea!



It ain't a screen border, but i like it myself. I'm not sure whether i could make the screens flicker properly though, it'd probably just end up being too intrusive. Now to get going on the other half of the upgrades...